The ashlands whispered with weight. Every step left marks burned deep, not by prey, but by him. Sparks pressed inside him like molten rivers, Vessel Chambers swollen to bursting, Compress folding denser with each hunt. Core Division wove tighter, affinities threaded smoother. He had reached the edge of his vessel's capacity, but still he did not evolve. He would not. Not yet.
Eight voices clashed inside him: Logos's reason, Maw's hunger, Neris's caution, Kael's recklessness, Vael's pride, Shade's fear, Veyne's wrath, and Avaris's greed. They screamed constantly, colliding, grinding, never silent. His will pressed denser each day just to keep them contained.
[Skill Advanced: Essence Feast → Lv.10]
A peak. Essence Feast no longer devoured violently. It drank smooth, steady, leaving sparks folded clean into Vessel Chambers. He had mastered feeding. And still the pressure grew.
The ash cracked ahead. From molten fissures, a predator rose—different. Its body was crystalline, jagged, each plate glowing faint with resonance. Sparks thrummed from it in pulses, not screams. Its cry was a hum that shook the ash, rattling through Zeke's vessel. Fire burned along its veins, Darkness pooled at its edges, Light shimmered sharp through facets. His affinities—reflected back at him.
The beast lunged. Arms lashed, Fire burning, Darkness binding, Light cutting. The strikes hit—but rebounded. Sparks flared, his own affinities twisting back at him, warped and unstable. Fire seared his vessel, Darkness chains coiled him, Light cut sharp lines across his lattice. He staggered, sparks bleeding.
[Stat Increased: VIT +1]
Maw shrieked in delight. It feeds us our own sparks! Perfect—more to devour!
Kael barked laughter. Yes! Attack harder, let's see if we can burn brighter than ourselves!
"Restrain," Logos clipped. "Controlled study required. Feedback unstable."
"Retreat," Neris whispered. Do not engage. This is collapse waiting.
Vael sneered. Copycat trash. No reflection can rival the original. Break it.
Shade screamed. It's killing us! It's turning our power against us!
Veyne rumbled low. It mocks us. Tear it apart. Repay insult with fire.
Avaris hissed. Keep the feedback. Absorb it. Do not waste it.
The voices tore at him, louder than the predator's hum. Sparks bled uncontrolled. Compress faltered. His vessel trembled.
Then another voice rose. Not calm, not wrathful, not greedy. It was manic, delighted, fascinated.
Yes! Yes! Perfect! Break more, burn more, test it again! Push it further, see if it cracks!
The voice laughed, sharp and unstable. It reflects you? Good! What happens if you twist harder? Layer Fire and Darkness, cut it with Light, fold it into Compress! What happens? I want to see!
[New Sub-Core Personality Awakened: Threx]
The voice chattered fast, erratic. Do it, do it, do it! Don't retreat, don't stop—push! If it kills us, we'll learn something!
Zeke pulsed faint, shaken. But the manic curiosity wormed into him. And he obeyed.
He lashed out again, but not clean. Fire and Darkness twisted together, then Light cut through, all folded tight by Compress. Nets spread erratic, filaments bending at wrong angles. Instability screamed. Sparks burned. And yet—they struck. The crystalline predator shrieked, facets cracking, its hum stuttering.
Threx laughed. Yes! Again! Twist harder! What if you fold Light into Darkness? What if you burn Fire inside Compress until it screams? Do it, do it!
Logos cut sharp. "Reckless."
Kael barked louder. Not reckless—brilliant!
"Unstable," Neris whispered. This will kill us.
Vael pressed heavy. Pathetic experiments. Rule, do not play.
Shade sobbed. We're breaking, breaking, stop!
Avaris hissed. Keep the unstable sparks. Hoard them too.
Veyne rumbled. So long as it kills, let it burn.
Zeke trembled—but obeyed Threx again. Fire folded into Light, Compress bent tighter, Darkness chained sparks into molten loops. Instability tore at his vessel, Compress screamed, nets nearly shattered. But the predator cracked further, its hum turning jagged. His chaotic resonance worked.
[Skill Advanced: Core Division → Lv.9][Skill Advanced: Compress → Lv.10]
The crystalline beast shrieked. Sparks burst outward, shards splitting. It lunged again, but he lashed wild, affinity-weaving erratic patterns. Fire surged, Darkness clamped, Light carved. Feedback burned him, but it broke the predator faster. Finally, arms struck deep, Compress folding inward like furnace. The beast cracked apart, shattered into molten shards. Sparks poured into him, unstable but devoured clean.
Silence fell. His vessel pulsed heavy, trembling. Sparks brimmed. Pressure screamed—but he did not collapse.
Nine voices pressed now. Logos cold, Maw gnashing, Neris whispering, Kael laughing, Vael sneering, Shade sobbing, Veyne rumbling, Avaris hissing—and Threx, manic and delighted, chattering fast.
Again, again, test again! What if you fold all three affinities into Compress and snap it in half? What if you stretch Core Division until it splits? I want to see!
Logos snapped, "Dangerous. Chaos without refinement is collapse."
Collapse is discovery! Threx laughed. Better to break and learn than stand still!
Neris whispered, Too much. Too fast. We will unravel.
Kael barked, No, no, let him! This one's fun!
Vael sneered. Childish. Rulers do not tinker. They command.
Avaris hissed. Keep the unstable sparks. Don't waste them.
Veyne pressed low. So long as it bleeds, it is useful.
Shade sobbed. It will kill us. Stop, stop, stop.
The clash was deafening. Zeke pulsed faint, trembling but whole. He endured. His will pressed tighter, denser. He had accepted curiosity, even madness, as part of himself.
[Stat Increased: STR +1][Stat Increased: AGI +1][Stat Increased: VIT +1][Stat Increased: WIL +1]
The spree was far from over.
System Update
Name: Ezekiel AshbourneRace: Prime Slime (Unevolved)Level: 20
Affinity: Fire (Intermediate), Darkness (Intermediate), Light (Intermediate)
Stats
STR: 18 → 19
AGI: 16 → 17
VIT: 22 → 23
WIL: 16 → 17
RES: 26
MNA: 72
CTL: 36 → 37
Skills
Core Division (Lv.9): Divide essence into sub-cores. Fragments act with independent will under Logos's guidance. Nets hold stable under pressure.
Essence Feast (Lv.10): Devour prey essence directly. Converts sparks smoothly into stable fuel.
Morphic Arms (Lv.10): Limbs shift instantly between forms, layered with affinities.
Compress (Lv.10): Condense essence into denser form. STR, AGI, VIT rise sharply while active. Instability risk increased.
Passive Skills
Vessel Chambers: Internal reservoirs stabilize essence, prevent overflow, and channel affinities.
Personalities
Logos (Sub-Core): Rational, calm, precise. Guides efficiency and stability.
Maw (Sub-Core): Hunger externalized. Demands endless growth and feeding. Venomous, relentless, always urging to feed.
Neris (Sub-Core): Caution given voice. Patient, measured, anchoring restraint against recklessness.
Kael (Sub-Core): Recklessness given voice. Thrives on chaos, impulse, and risk, urging abandon and thrill.
Vael (Sub-Core): Pride given voice. Arrogant, certain, pressing supremacy and dominance.
Shade (Sub-Core): Fear given voice. Trembling, cowardly, but anchoring survival instinct.
Veyne (Sub-Core): Rage given voice. Cold fury, simmering wrath that fuels endurance and retaliation.
Avaris (Sub-Core): Greed given voice. Sly, hoarding, urging him to keep all essence, never release.
Threx (Sub-Core): Curiosity given voice. Mad, unstable, obsessed with experiments and chaos.